Scotland's New Writing Theatre

Traverse Festival 2013 announced

The anticipation is finally over. We are delighted to announce
our 2013 Festival programme in this, our golden anniversary year.
The season is brimming with the innovative, risk taking work you've
come to expect from the Traverse Theatre.

At the heart of this year's programme are no less than four
Traverse productions. We're excited to welcome back the
award-winning playwright David Harrower with the world premiere of
Ciara, our co-production with Datum Point. The
collaboration sees one of Scotland's foremost playwrights reunited
with one of our finest actors, Blythe Duff, after the runaway
success of last year's Good With People
(read the rave reviews here).
Ciara is a truly extraordinary play - a twisted love song
to Glasgow with a captivating solo performance.

We follow with I'm With the Band by Tim Price, our very
topical co-production with Wales Millennium
Centre, which creates a vivid, playful and timely exploration
of the break-up of an indie band. The band comprises an Englishman,
a Northern Irishman, a Scotsman and a Welshman and just so happens
to be called The Union. Directed by our Traverse Associate
Director, Hamish Pirie.

We couldn't resist putting the Breakfast Plays back on
the menu, bringing former Dream PlaysA
Respectable Widow Takes to Vulgarity by Douglas Maxwell and
Clean by Sabrina Mahfouz back as polished, low-fi
productions. With a brew and a bacon roll included in the ticket
price, it's the perfect start to your day.

We're especially proud to present the work of the Traverse Fifty. These emerging
writers won our worldwide competition for playwriting talent and
have been working with us throughout the year. If you missed 50 Plays for Edinburgh in
January, it's your chance to see the winning 500 word plays, broken
into two evenings of breakneck theatre.

This year, we bring you a programme of visiting company work
that is alive with political energy - whether it's the men reunited
years after a Belfast bombing in The Abbey Theatre's
Quietly, Ontroerend Goed's ruthless interrogation of
democracy in Fight Night, or the pregnant female fighter
pilot flying drones over battlefields of Pakistan in George Brant's
Grounded.

Cadre, brought to us by the South African playwright
Omphile Molusi, is a political story of dreams and change in a
country transitioning from one state of governing to a new order,
and David Greig's The Events is a daring new play
surrounding tragedy and destruction, made all the more dramatic
with local choirs and soaring soundtrack.

The Secret Agent, based on Joseph Conrad's classic
novel and brought to us by theatre O, highlights political issues
at a time of social upheaval and growing disparity between rich and
poor. Theatre Uncut - back for a second year - take a
political stance too, with scratch theatre that fights back against
the impact of austerity measures - raising debate and calling for
action.

Playwrights' Studio Scotland also join us to incite
debate on the issues surrounding playwrights and theatre-makers in
TalkFest 2013, a series of panels and discussions featuring artists
from 2013's Made in Scotland
programme.

Free-market economics are put under the magnifying glass with a
husband-and-wife wheeling dealing team in Fire Exit and David Leddy's fast-paced
Long Live The Little Knife, and you can witness Kate Tempest's way with words in Battersea Arts Centre's Brand
New Ancients, featuring razor-sharp spoken word fused with a
searing live score.

Moving performances can be seen from real-life mother and son in
Brokentalkers' Have I No Mouth, devised by Feidlim Cannon
and Gary Keegan, which explores the changing nature of
relationships in the aftermath of a family in turmoil.

It promises to be a golden season of thrilling new theatre in an
already glowing year. You can explore the Festival programme in
full here, and join us to celebrate our
50th anniversary with this compelling programme of work.
See you in August!

Please choose the updates you wish to receive:Traverse Enews
A fortnightly overview of what’s coming up at the Traverse.New Writing
Announcements of new Traverse productions and updates on talks, readings and workshops.Dance and Physical Theatre
The latest from our Dance and Physical Theatre programme, including Manipulate and Traverse Autumn Festival.Children and Young People
Updates on projects, workshops, events and resources plus alerts on our programme for children and young people. Festivals
Announcements about our programme for the Edinburgh Festivals in August and updates about our other Festivals throughout the year.